Of Pranks and Letters
by antomec
Summary: Though they love their grandparents, Lucy and Bickslow aren't completely sure if they're taking it a bit too far. Especially when they use the kids as messengers. High school AU. Oneshot. Fluff.


**My first ever fic, this is dedicated to the lovely apriiil. Check out her stories if you haven't yet – they're awesome. Though this was based on a prompt, I think I completely missed it.**

* * *

The first time Lucy was asked by her grandma to deliver something to someone in her school, she was twelve, and she did it without complaint. Besides, this way, she would at least make a new friend.

"Um...are you Bickslow, Mr. Makarov's grandson?"she asked, hesitantly.

The boy in question was odd – to say the least. Wild blue-black hair covered his eyes, and it seemed to annoy him to no end, because he kept playing with it. And his red eyes were keen on her when he answered her question.

"Yeah, who's asking?"

"Lucy, but technically it's my grandma, and she wanted me to give you this," she paused, and quickly pushed a small box, neatly wrapped with a bow on top, into Bickslow's hands. "Apparently, she knows your grandfather, and she wants you to give this to him," she added hurriedly.

Bickslow seemed surprised, but he nodded his head and grinned. "I'm going to see him next week, so I'll make sure to give it to him. "

He seemed nice.

"I suppose my job here is done. Bye then," Lucy told him awkwardly. Waving her hand, she sped off before Bickslow could ask her anything else.

* * *

"Hey, Lucy! Wait a minute!"

Hearing her name, she whirled on her feet, and came face-to-face with Bickslow. He was grinning madly, like he knew something she didn't.

"That was one wild prank you pulled! How did you know Gramps was scared of spiders?" Bickslow seemed strangely elated.

"I didn't?" What was this boy going on about?

"The box! The present! The thing you gave me from your grandma! It was a spider! A plastic spider! But it was so cool to see him jump out of his skin!"

Lucy was beginning to suspect that Bickslow communicated in a language made up entirely of exclamation points, and she hadn't even had a proper conversation with him yet. Bickslow seemed to be frighteningly overjoyed on the fact that his grandfather could have suffered a heart attack.

"Well, anyway, when I told him that it was a gift from your grandma, he told me to tell you to tell her that he was gonna 'get her back', " he said, making air quotes. "So yeah, tell your grandma that, okay?" he added. And then he turned around and ran to his friends.

To Lucy, however, the whole conversation took less than three minutes, and she was certain of two things – one, her grandma had a lot of explaining to do, and two?

She was going to see a lot more of that boy.

* * *

It had now become a weekly ritual.

Bickslow would meet Lucy every week under the huge oak tree right outside their school. They would hand their gift from their respective grandparent, discuss it, and promise to meet again the next week. It wasn't long however, before their grandparents tried roping them into their antics.

"You know, Lucy's grandma and I go way back," Makarov started. "There wasn't a day when we wouldn't yell at each other. "

Bickslow – of all horrors – was doing his homework, and he merely glanced up with a look of scorn. "I know, Gramps, you told me this a hundred times before."

"And a hundred times more I'll tell you, or until you get it into your head. If Lucy's truly her grandkid, then it's obvious – she'll be whip-smart _and_ funny. You could stand to learn a thing or two from her." Makarov raised his hand and thumped it on the back of Bickslow's head.

Holding his head, Bickslow looked back at Makarov, and told him, "Okay, okay. Do you have anything to give your friend this week?"

Makarov grinned wickedly. "No. This week, it's your turn. You get to terrify Lucy. "

Bickslow refused almost immediately. "Yeah, no, not happening. "

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because I barely know her!" Bickslow had completely given up on his homework by that point. All he was doing was copying the same equation over and over anyway.

"Yeah, right." Makarov snorted. "We'll see about that."

Needless to say, Bickslow did not oblige his grandfather that week.

* * *

A lot of changes occurred when high school rolled around. Granted, it was junior year of high school, but the changes were extreme.

Bickslow, in a fit of angsty teenage rebellion, cut off his hair and turned it into a Mohawk, and also got a face tattoo. He received a week's detention for that stunt.

Bickslow could not have cared less.

Lucy, on the other hand, became friends with nearly the entire school, joined the track team – and excelled at it – and also, by some small miracle, became student president.

One thing that did not change however, was their weekly meet-ups under the oak tree.

* * *

"Lucy, you're late," Bickslow called out.

"Sorry, I had some business to tend to." Lucy jogged up to the oak tree, and Bickslow noticed that she seemed to be tired. She had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was all ruffled up, a bunch of papers under one arm – on second thoughts, she looked like a mess.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Work. And work. And more work. Apparently, student president is not just waving my hand and looking pretty."

Bickslow chuckled. "Well, you do have the 'looking pretty' part down pat."

Lucy didn't bother to comment, but she did raise her eyebrows. "So, anything from Makarov this week?"

Bickslow snorted at the question, and pulled something out of his backpack. "Gramps wanted me to slip this into your bag. It's apparently something your grandma did to him when they were younger, and he wanted to return the favour, although he's a couple generations late."

Lucy looked at the thing in his hands – it was a rubber snake, with big adorable snake eyes. It also had a piece of paper attached to its tail with a rubber band.

Lucy shook her head. "Well, this simply won't do. It's much too big for you to slip into my bag unseen. But I can't believe that Makarov freaked over something like this. It doesn't even look like a snake!"

"I know, right?" Bickslow pointed to the slip of paper on the snake. "Oh, there was supposed to be something written on this."

"Then where is it?"

"He couldn't think of anything, so he asked me to come up with something funny."

Lucy burst out laughing, but she took out a pen from her pocket, and asked Bickslow to turn around. She placed the paper on his back and quickly scribbled something down. "There, mischief managed," she said proudly.

Bickslow took the snake in his hands and read her writing out loud. "How do you measure a snake?" He paused and looked at Lucy for a second before continuing. "In inches, 'cause they don't have any feet. Oh my god, why would you do something like this?"

Lucy only laughed before she plucked the snake out of his hands and walked off.

Ridiculous as she was, Bickslow was pretty sure he was falling for her.

* * *

"How serious is it?" Lucy asked as she rushed up to Bickslow.

"Well, he did suffer a heart attack, but the old geezer isn't going to die anytime soon," Bickslow answered.

"Bickslow!"

"What? Gramps said that himself!"

They stood in the middle of a nearly empty hallway, a wooden door separating them from Makarov. Lucy's grandmother had gotten the call from Bickslow's father, at the request of Makarov himself. She had told Lucy, and Lucy had come in just a little after her grandma, but she was still kept from entering the room.

"You shouldn't be here, Lucy. Don't you have finals tomorrow?" Bickslow slid down the wall and sat, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. Lucy mutely joined him on the floor.

"It's okay. This is more important."

"Than finals? Woah, did not see that coming."

"Oh, shut up."

They sat in comfortable silence for the remainder of the visit.

* * *

Graduation day.

Bickslow could scarcely believe it. The fact that he had passed his exams itself was astounding – considering his lack of time to study, what with Makarov in the hospital, and of course, his lack of want to study.

He had thought it was a joke when he was handed his certificate, and judging by the looks on his teachers' faces, they thought so too.

He was standing outside the school now, waiting for his friends to show up. He breathed in deeply and thought happily, _sayonara assholes_.

He should have met Lucy one last time, too, but considering what he felt for her, he had decided it wasn't worth the risk-

"Bicks, wait up!"

 _Curse this girl and her uncanny ability to find me._

"Lucy, what's up?" Bickslow lamely asked.

"What do you mean, what's up? It's graduation! No more school!" Lucy yelled.

"Where are your friends?"

"By the entrance," she answered, pointing. Bickslow could faintly make out the pink-haired idiot he'd seen with her, waving his arms. Suddenly, a tiny blue-haired girl came out of nowhere and proceeded to drag Lucy's friend out of sight.

"Anyway, I have something to give you." Lucy was rummaging in her handbag. She suddenly found what she was looking for and quickly handed it over.

Bickslow was surprised. Their grandparents should have realised that they were going to graduate, that they would be going their separate ways, and in all probability wouldn't see each other again. _I am more torn up about this than I thought_.

Lucy had handed him an envelope. It wasn't uncommon for their grandparents to send each other letters sometimes. He turned it over in his hands, and replied softly,"Yeah, I'll make sure Gramps gets it."

"No, silly. The envelope is for you." Lucy said, though she was completely red in the face.

"Oh my god, it's like a Howler, isn't it? It's a really horrible angry letter – what did I even do-?"

"Oh-you're impossible!" Lucy cried. "Give me that," she said, snatching the envelope. She turned on her heels, and marched off, head held high.

"Lucy,don't go!" Bickslow laughed out. He caught up with her, and literally _caught her_ to stop moving. She squirmed in his grasp, holding the envelope out of reach, but Bickslow persisted, laughing all the while. He grabbed it and spun Lucy away.

He ripped it open, Lucy frantically pulling at his arm, but he still read it out loud. "Go out with...me?" Bickslow faltered off. He looked at her incredulously.

"Well, it's not a joke," Lucy started softly, "In case you were wondering. But it's just been a long time, and I really like you, and I've wanted to ask you for _so long_ , except I couldn't, because I didn't know if you felt the same way, and it's graduation, so I thought what-"

Bickslow cleanly cut her off. "You're rambling, it's cute, and yes to your question."

"-the hell?"

Bickslow chuckled. "Yes. Yes, I'll go out with you. I've wanted to, but-"

And then Bickslow couldn't speak, because, Lucy had her arms around him and she was _kissing him_.

It was over as soon as it had started, and Bickslow could honestly say that he had not expected it. Lucy stepped back and awkwardly spoke,"Well, I should probably go. Natsu might send a search party if I don't show up soon."

"Yeah. Cool, cool. I'll, um, pick you up at seven?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." Lucy smiled then, and Bickslow could safely say that he was speechless at what just took place.

Lucy ran off to find her friends, and Bickslow?

Bickslow just thanked all of his lucky stars.

* * *

 **Reviews are appreciated af.**


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